Case.11 The Airpeak S1 is amazing when you actually touch it! Experience Maneuvering Report Vol.02 [Atsushi Taguchi's Drone Project Diary] | DRONE

Full automatic navigation function!Great potential depending on how you use it

You can create a flight plan for automatic navigation with the web application "Airpeak Base". With an interface like video editing software, you can specify the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the aircraft along the timeline, the orientation of the gimbal, and the shooting timing of moving images and still images.

In addition, the flight trajectory is not limited to a straight line, but a smooth curved route can be set. You can draw a curve with the "Bezier curve" that is also handled by Adobe Illustrator. The automatic navigation of this smooth curved route feels very possible. It was difficult to use it for aerial photography (like a video work) in the conventional automatic navigation using straight waypoints, but it seems that the usage scene will expand if it can fly in a curved line. Please see the captured video that recorded the actual curvilinear movement. It has a smooth flight as if it were piloted by a human pilot.

Curved automatic navigation capture screen.Achieves smooth flight as if maneuvered

In addition, the Airpeak S1's automatic navigation function also includes "reproduction flight" that remembers the route once flew and flies. For example, in a situation where 2 operations (shooting in which the aircraft control and camera operation are performed by different people) are not possible, 2 operations can be performed by one person, such as memorizing the flight route in the first flight and doing camera work in the second flight. Is possible. I couldn't try this function, but it is a function that I am very interested in as a writer who is implementing tourism planning with a drone. It seems that it is possible to set flight routes in advance at tourist spots, and to carry out projects such as general tourists doing only camera operations and seeing the scenery they want to see from the sky.

Airpeak S1 with a high degree of perfection as the first Sony development machine! There are some points I want you to improve ...

The Airpeak S1 is very complete and incorporates unique features, but there are some points that I would like to see improved. First of all, the battery problem that many people are concerned about. The flight time of about 12 minutes with the camera installed may still be short. However, it is said that a large capacity battery is also under development, so time should be resolved in that area.

Also, I felt that it was a storage problem. It will be a large aircraft as it is, but it is quite difficult to store it compactly. Looking at the users who actually purchased it, it seems that they have prepared original cases and devised each. I would be grateful if you could sell a case that can be officially stored compactly.

However, the Sony Airpaek S1 is very attractive. I think it is very significant that the camera maker Sony developed in-house that the main parts cannot achieve the performance aimed at by commercial parts. The aircraft that pursued that much quality was actually completed. I hope this article will be helpful to those who are wondering about purchasing.